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Rowett wary of Bantams threat

Burton boss Gary Rowett admits he is wary of Bradford after the West Yorkshire side timed their play-off push to perfection.

Last Updated: 01/05/13 6:27pm

Gary Rowett: We'll show Bradford respect, not fear

Burton boss Gary Rowett admits he is wary of Bradford after the West Yorkshire side timed their play-off push to perfection.

The Bantams' Capital One Cup run had left them playing catch-up in the league but after just two defeats in their last 15 matches, which included a 1-0 win over the Brewers at Valley Parade 11 days ago, Phil Parkinson's team overhauled Exeter to finish in seventh spot.

"The side coming up on the rails can be the most dangerous in the play-offs," said Rowett. "Bradford sneaking in might give them the impetus but having played them recently, I wouldn't fear them. We'll give them lots of respect but we won't fear them.

"We committed football suicide up there the other week. We gave them a goal out of nothing and then we gave them a man advantage with (Lee Bell's) red card. A crazy two minutes before half-time cost us the game."

Burton's away form this season has been in stark contrast to that at the Pirelli Stadium.

The Brewers lost 11 times on their travels and finished the campaign with just one win from their last six on the road. At home, Rowett's side won 17 of their 23 fixtures and were beaten on only three occasions.

"We've been working on a few things to try to remedy it and going up to Bradford there are one or two things that we might do differently," said Rowett.

"You know at Bradford that if you let them take the early impetus, with the crowd there, you can find yourselves three or four goals down.

"If you can quell the tide and defend properly - and we're going to have to defend a little bit better at times to keep the game tight and give us something to play for in the second leg - then you can get something.

"If we can get them back here I believe we can beat anyone, as we've proved this season."